“We often ask ourselves, where do we get the time? But if we live our lives with the intention to achieve our goals, I think we will always make time for it. I usually make a plan of what I want to achieve per day… micro goals that I set for each day. And it is easier to accomplish tasks when these goals are broken down to small goals for each day of the week.”
These words reflect the strategic approach of Mario Pathaw – his Instagram handle describes his multi-faceted personality as a PhD candidate at IIT, Guwahati (IIT-G), UIUX designer, visual communicator, illustrator, artist, architect and graphic designer.
Whimsical yet a careful planner, he describes himself as a “mix of both” as the conversation steered towards shuffling of roles.
Pathaw’s interest as an illustrator started at an early age, indulging in the world of art as a little boy. At school, sketching accompanied reading. These were subjects like Literature and History, including participation in science experiments.
Chuckling, he pointed out, “I always have a habit of sketching what I read. Transferring texts into drawings helped me dive deep into the subject better. You could say it’s my way of understanding the relationship between word and image. This paved the way to venture into poster making and stage design in school as a teenager.”
One may automatically assume he is a trained artist. Interestingly, he never received formal training as an artist/illustrator; rather, it was a self-exploratory voyage.
Much later, architecture added a grounded approach. At the Industrial Design Centre (IDC), IIT Bombay, he learned more about communication design, which gave him a new perspective on the world of graphics and design. While honing his craft, he finally landed a job as a UI/UX designer at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
He now works on projects, collaborating often with the government, non-governmental organisations, including the Department of Arts and Culture, Grassroots, DERT, Sauramandala Foundation, and Dakti Craft, to name a few. Presently, a doctoral candidate at the Department of Design, IIT-G, he is researching on the indigenous graphic design culture of the Khasi-Jaintia tribes.
Pathaw is deeply rooted in his culture yet layered in his storytelling that has a universal appeal.
Speaking on his new graphic novel, he said, “Tynrai was conceived at IIT Bombay as a third semester project during my Masters in 2019. It was on hold for a while. In 2020-22 while the entire world lived through a pandemic-induced global lockdown, I got the chance to open my Master’s degree project, with the aim to rework on it.”
The word, Tynrai, translates to “roots”. Finally, the book was released on April 9, 2022. His novel takes the shape of a conversational narrative between a grandfather and his granddaughter, through a folktale, using examples of an illustrated panel-to-panel comic strip format to highlight the importance of living in harmony with nature.
The explanation is based on a folktale where a selfish queen exploits nature, and her pride eventually leads to the death of her only son (the sole heir to the realm).
The connectivity of several folktales – the Sacred woodlands (Law Kyntang), tigers (Ki Khla) who cure the wounds of the trees by licking them, and nymphs (Puri blei) – is one of the key themes in his artistic approach.
Another theme revolves around the Khasi belief system and myths. Among others, prohibition on cutting down trees and carrying out a project in the month of April (Iaiong), which is considered taboo, and the prohibition on taking a dip or bathing at noon in a river.
“I have also inserted Khasi day to day farming tools, snacks and utensils. One can also get an idea of terms like U Nai khatsawsynnia (a personification for a handsome man compared to something beautiful that comes once in a blue moon). A glossary at the last page can guide readers who are not familiar with the language,” Pathaw said, with a smile, showing a rare sensitivity toward non-Khasi readership.
He believes that the readers will acquire an understanding of the Khasi tribe through their tools, snacks, and culture. He also hopes that students, homegrown and out of Meghalaya, learn to appreciate and cherish the value of nature and the benefits it provides, from the tourism perspective as well.
“When people visit the Khasi Hills and the Living Root Bridge, for instance, I hope they experience the rich Khasi culture,” the artist mused.
That his illustrations take inspiration from the Khasi-Jaintia culture is for all to see.
In his own words, “I have high regard toward our Khasi-Jaintia folklores because it gives us a peek into the mind of our ancestors. They didn’t record the tales in writing. Beautifully, along with the oral tradition, the tales are embedded into the natural geographical conditions of our land. Some examples can be seen in the stories, Ka Noh ka Likai; Symper bad u Kyllang; U kwai; ka shun; u Tympew bad U duma and others. The list goes on.”
“We also understand the association of our clans to certain mythical beings. I am currently working on a graphic novel that illustrates the tale of our Pathaw clan. It is a tale passed down to my mother from my great grandmother. I had this idea of documenting in the form of an illustrated book. The story talks about the men of our clan who possess the ability to shapeshift into tigers,” the Shillong-based illustrator added.
On the conception of the “Living root bridge series”, which shows how they are made, Pathaw recalled how he first met Morningstar Khongthaw from Nohwet, the founder of The Living Root Bridge Foundation, a few years ago.
“Bah Morningstar tries to preserve living root bridges and shares his knowledge with others who want to see these bridges grow. The life stages of bridges range from primary/early to matured,” Pathaw highlighted.
Evidently, he was captivated by his artwork, and occasionally saw his posts on social media. This led him to create the series, which became a component of the book Tynrai.
The thin line between whimsy and careful planning is key to his method.
“It largely depends on my work. If it’s collaborative (illustrated book, poster, logo and architecture design), I like to plan my work schedule and lay out the pipeline for the project. This gives me clarity on how to go about it to meet client satisfaction. But for a self-initiated project, it becomes exploratory in terms of ideas, materials, techniques and approach. It has no timeline as I improvise and along the way, sharpen my skills and develop my talent.’
Beautiful captions complete his photo stories on Instagram. Referring to this, he said, “I try to find out facts and records about our culture to the best of my ability; read and ideate on them; and finally present them in the form of artworks on Instagram along with captions that explains the inspiration behind the artwork.”
Delving further, he cited the example of the story of Tankhong and Rangnoh by Sweetymon Rynjah; it had a three-part series on the social media handle.
It covered the concept of totemism in the Khasi-Jaintia hills explained in the form of Ka Ki Dohka; the traditional practices of making bamboo ringlets of the Hima (kingdom) Khyrim shows the Duhalia making the ringlets or Kyrwoh.
Artistic vision does not, in any way, dim practical realities.
One can also comprehend the region’s social framework, governmental structure, physical characteristics, and long-term development.
Working with the government has definitely broadened his horizons. He was commissioned to design the Meghalaya State Emblem, a distillation of the state’s immensely stunning natural beauty and the completely unique culture.
It emphasises the state’s deep connection to environment and the cultural ties between its three primary hill tribes – the Khasi, Jaintias and the Garos – publicly unveiled on January 21, 2022 to commemorate the 50th statehood celebrations.
Pathaw has also created the government logo for the Farmer Empowerment Commission of Meghalaya, On October 14, 2022, Meghalaya chief minister, Conrad Sangma, proclaimed six ‘Arts & Crafts villages’ and handed over certificates of honour to them.
“Each logo is designed in accordance with the indigenous visual identity, unique to every village. I also had the opportunity to illustrate the book, The Bravehearts and Champions of Freedom from the Hills, a publication by the Department of Arts and Culture, Meghalaya,” he said.
Among other logo designs familiar to residents of the city are the Tri-Hills Ensemble, with the goal of promoting the illustrious legacy of the three lively tribes; Winter Tales Festival 2022 branding where the illustrations were conceptualised and delivered in partnership with Dakti Craft, Meghalayan Age and Meghalaya tourism to complement the event’s theme, adding a local flavour to Shillong’s quaint Christmas celebration.
Pathaw’s journey represents the ethos of the 21st century youth – at once grounded in culture and aware of global expectations. Exciting prospects certainly lay ahead for our artist.